Broken
by Mana-Ryou
Summary: A typical evening turns into somekind of nightmare when Ash Ketchum and his older sister, Julia turn up on the Grangil's doorstep, battered, bruised and bloody. And now Damon's been left with the task of caring for the traumatised brother of the woman he loves. *Contains an OC* Damon/Julia *mentioned* Contains Brotherly fluff -T for mentions of blood and violence, just to be safe-


Damon stood awkwardly in the doorway, trying to think of the best way to proceed. He shifted from one foot to the other before slowly entering the room cautiously. In the bath, sat Ash, completely disconnected from reality as he stared at the wall ahead of him. He gave no indication that he had even noticed Damon's stepping into the room. Damon deposited the clothes on the toilet seat and tentatively knelt down beside the bath, trying not to openly wince as he took in the bruises shaped like boots, or the dark mark that was slowly beginning to swell on the boys face or the nasty fact that his hair was streaked with blood. Pikachu frowned worriedly and looked up at Damon, obviously hoping the man could do something to get Ash back to normal.

"Ash... Ash?" Ash didn't even twitch, he just stared ahead. "Come on, it's time to clean up." No response. Perfect. Sighing heavily as he knew what had to be done, Damon took the plastic jug from beside the bath and, filling it with the bath water, tipped it over Ash's head and began to clean out the blood and grime. The crimson colour trickled over Damon's fingers and it took a deal of self control to ignore it and continue his job. Ash did nothing to protest to the treatment, he just sat there obediently like a small child who had just been told off. This was what disturbed Damon. He didn't know this child. He knew the bouncy, energetic, stubborn, rash boy who did whatever it took to help his friends. Not this silent, introvert. Whatever had happened had to have been incredibly traumatic to have produced such an effect. When he was finally finished, Damon wrapped the towel around him and levered Ash out of the bath, before handing him the clothes he had brought in with him; a grey shirt and track suit bottoms. "You can dry and dress yourself right? I'll get you something to drink." Ash's vacant stare made Damon wonder for a second if Ash had even heard him, before the boy gave the tiniest nod possible, allowing Damon to take his leave of the room.

The older man stopped outside the door, leaning against it as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to straighten his thoughts with limited success. Why the hell had this even happened?

It had been about twenty minutes ago. Damon had been at home for dinner that evening, rather than out with his friends at the local pub, a friends and family thing. It had been enjoyable; Ravine and Glacine, who were staying in Eindoak to assist in the rebuilding of the Kingdom of the Vale, had brought their children with them, Luis and Luisa. However, they had left a couple of hours ago, having been rubbing their eyes and vehemently denying being tired at all. Just as Damon had been considering retiring for the night, there was a banging on the front door, with Carlita running to answer it. Needless to say, her scream brought Mannes, her mother and brother all running.

For in the door was Ash and his unconscious, elder sister, Julia, both badly battered and bruised, Julia bleeding badly and Ash looking like he had just ran as though his life had depended on it (which it probably had.) There was a moment of complete shock in which Damon felt his heart twist horribly in his chest. Ash begged them to help and soon Juanita took control of the situation. She and Mannes took Julia from the distraught child, taking her upstairs to see what could be done, whilst Carlita was told to call a doctor. That left Damon to take care of Ash, a position the former wasn't overly happy about. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Ash, he really did. He still felt he owed the boy something after what had transpired the last time he had been in Eindoak, but it was hard, knowing that the woman he loved so dearly was so badly hurt_._

_"Dear, I know it's hard for you, but Ash _needs_ you right now. We'll take care of Julia, you won't have to worry, I promise." _

That was what Juanita had said, but Damon was by no means reassured. After some minor sulking, Damon quickly sucked it up and turned to Ash, trying to find out what had happened. Unfortunately, the boy was simply distraught and couldn't get any further than saying they had been attacked before choking up and crying some more, eventually becoming unable to speak at all. It was that and just seeing the pure look of fear on his face which had made Damon's opinion on his position change, seeing how badly affected Ash was by the whole thing and he decided the best thing to do was calm Ash down and get him cleaned up.

The only problem was now that Ash _was _calm (or at least, _calmer_) he was almost totally unresponsive to everyone. Damon came back, carrying a mug of hot chocolate and knocked on the door.

"Ash, you dressed yet?" He called. No answer. Typical. Half-expecting Ash to still be wrapped in the towel, Damon nudged the door open slowly and peered around. To his surprise, Ash had indeed dressed, the clothes being slightly too large for him on his thin frame, seeing as they had once belonged to Damon (for once he would not question Juanita's need to hold onto old clothes), and was now sat on the bathroom floor, his back to the wall and had returned to staring dead ahead. Gently kneeling down, Damon pressed the mug into Ash's hands. "Have some; it might help you feel a little better."

After a solid minute, Ash took a sensitive sip of the drink, taking it painfully slowly, like it hurt. But it was noticeable how Ash was watching Damon fearfully from the corner of his eye, almost like he expected Damon to turn around and hit him, though the older male decided to maintain a gap between himself and the boy, just to dispel Ash's unease. It didn't seem to help, seeing as Damon couldn't help but make the comparison to a Patrat ready to bolt at the first wrong move just from the wariness that was so clearly evident in Ash's eyes. Was it the memories from his last time in Eindoak that made him act this way? Or was he mistrusting of everyone right now? Damon half-hoped it was the latter, seeing as the other option didn't really raise his opinion of himself.

When Ash finished, Damon helped him up and lead the boy and his Pikachu out of the room and down the hall.

"You can sleep in here. It's a bit messy, but it should be okay," Damon said, opening the door to his room. As he had said, it was a bit of a mess; the desk was a clutter with piles of books and scrap paper littering the floor around it and the duvet of the bed lay in a crumpled heap. Ash hesitated, having realised whose room it was. "Don't worry," Damon sighed. "I'm taking the sofa tonight. I just thought it'd be more comfortable for you up here; trust me the sofa is not fun." Damon blinked after he said this. He was sure had seen Ash smile at that last comment. The ghost of it had just vanished from his face. Perhaps the Ash he knew was still in there somewhere.

Pikachu trotted into the room and jumped onto the window sill, gazing outside into the darkness which was illuminated by the lights coming from the lamps outside though outside of the little orbs of light, nothing was visible. He chirped to Ash who finally walked into the room tentatively, evidently feeling like some kind of intruder upon Damon's privacy. The older male smoothed out the bed sheets before tucking Ash in. "Okay?" Ash nodded, though Damon noted how tiny he looked just then. Had he always been that small? Pikachu hopped down onto the bed and curled up next to Ash. "Good night."

Damon made to leave when a small hand shot out and seized his larger one. Confused, he looked down at the portion of Ash's face that wasn't concealed by the duvet. His eyes were wide and frightful and Damon could see the desperation in them. He didn't want to be left alone. Damon simply offered a soft, comforting smile and nodded, seating himself on the edge of the bed, squeezing Ash's hand in reassurance. Ash seemed to calm down, though his grip on Damon's hand didn't cease until his eyes slid closed, his breathing deepened and, finally, his body relaxed. It was noticeable from the moment the boy fell asleep; had he really been _that_ tense? When Ash's grip finally loosened, Damon slipped his hand out of Ash's and stood up, leaving the room. Pikachu watched him leave, sensing where the man was going.

* * *

Damon had to control himself so he didn't burst into the spare room, but he walked very fast and knocked a little harder than usual. Juanita appeared in the door way and frowned.

"Damon, I thought you were taking care of Ash," she reprimanded firmly.

"I know mother, he's asleep right now," Damon said. "Mother... I need to see her." Juanita's expression softened and she placed a hand on her son's shoulder, knowing the pain he felt.

"Sweetheart, I know how much you love Julia, but right now there's not much you can do. The doctor's doing whatever it takes to patch her up. I know it must be horrible to feel so helpless, but there's a ten year old boy who needs you right now and will probably be scared witless if he wakes up with no one around," she said wisely. "I understand that you must think that Ash is mistrustful of you, but in all honesty, I think the reason he came here _was _you. He knew he could trust you to help him and Julia and right now, you're probably the person he trusts most. Now go on; if anything happens, I'll fetch you, okay?" Bowing his head in defeat, Damon plodded down the stairs into the kitchen. He needed a drink; his head was throbbing painfully from the stress.

Damon poured a generous amount of the dark red liquid into a glass and drained it in a single gulp, hoping to sooth his nerves. He was still trying to process what his mother had said to him.

_"He knew he could trust you to help him and Julia and right now, you're probably the person he trusts most."_

_It was noticeable how Ash was watching Damon fearfully from the corner of his eye, almost like he expected Damon to turn around and hit him._

Just looking at Ash in that moment made Damon wonder how he could possibly be the person Ash trusted most. That fear was unmistakable, that was a fact. But then again, earlier, just as Damon had been about to leave the room, Ash had stopped him. He wanted Damon to stay, to keep him safe. That was a mark of trust. Again, there was no doubt. Frustrated over his confusion, Damon went to pour a little more drink into the glass, just as he felt an urgent tug on his trouser leg. Looking down, he saw Pikachu tugging on the fabric, his expression being a look of urgency.

"Pika pi! Chu, pika pika!" He seemed to grow more frustrated by Damon's blank expression, which blatantly spoke of his inability to understand the Electric Mouse and he pointed agitatedly through the door before hurrying off. Perplexed by Pikachu's behaviour, Damon swiftly followed him down the hall and up the stairs, just as the pieces began to click. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, the gap being just big enough for a small pokémon to slip through. Damon pushed it open and made his was over to the bed, turning on the lamp that sat on the bed side cabinet. Sweat rolled over Ash's face, his face pale and contorted in a mixture of pain and fear as he writhed under the sheets. Damon shook Ash gently.

"Ash, come on. Wake up," he urged gently, not wanting to jolt him awake for fear of scaring him more so than he already was.

"N-no... Stop it. W-we didn't do anything..."  
"Ash," Damon repeated, more anxiously than before and shaking him a little harder. "Wake up."

"No! Stop it!" He screamed and with that, Damon gave Ash a sharp jerk.

"Ash, wake up!"

Dark brown eyes flew open and Ash instinctively jerked himself out of Damon's grip, breathing so heavily he may have just ran a marathon, eyes glassy and wide with terror as he trembled terribly. Damon remained in his position, not wanting to give Ash any more reasons to freak out.

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked, tugging gently on Ash's sleeve. Finally, his breathing steadied and deepened, though his death grip on the sheets remained evident. After a few moments of silence, Damon steadily levered himself to sit on the edge of the bed, trying not to make any sudden movements. Ash made no attempt to protest, which Damon took as a positive sign.

"Nightmare?" Ash managed a shaky nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" The boy shook his head so hard that it seemed to make him dizzy, as he clutched it in one hand. "Ash, you know you can trust me right? I want to help." Ash still didn't reply, but he did nod slightly. "Okay then." Knowing that pressing the boy for details wouldn't help, Damon sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, trying to decide what to do next, when he suggested, "How about trying to go back to sleep? I'm going to go check up on Julia real quick and I'll be right back." Ash tried to climb out of the bed only for Damon to simply press him back onto the mattress and tucked him back in. "You're exhausted Ash, go to sleep. If anything happens, I'll wake you, okay?" He stood and left the room, giving Pikachu a pat on the head as he passed and shut the door behind him quietly.

Damon barely made it half way down the hall when he heard feet padding behind him. Sighing in exasperation, he looked around to see Ash standing right behind him. "Ash, c'mon. Back to bed, you need some sleep." When Ash didn't budge, Damon found himself lifting the boy into his arms and carrying him back into the room, tucking him back into bed. "Just go to sleep, okay? I promise, I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

However, the process simply repeated itself over and over again; with Damon leaving the room, only for Ash to follow when Damon finally groaned, as he turned around for the sixth time to see Ash innocently trailing behind him.

"What part of go back to sleep do you not understand?" He said exhaustedly. Ash just blinked up at him, like a baby Lillipup and finally Damon gave up. "Okay, come on then." Ash followed Damon closely, remaining close behind at all times. When Damon stopped outside of the door, he looked down at Ash and he was glad to see a spark of familiar determination in his eyes. He was probably steeling himself for whatever they might see. Damon knocked on the door and Carlita answered.  
"Damon- Oh Ash. What's going on, I thought I heard screaming earlier?"

"It was Ash," Damon said quietly. "He had a nightmare earlier. I told him to get some sleep, but every time I walked up here, he kept following me... So how is she?" Carlita simply stepped aside and let the two males into the room. Ash hesitated on the thresh hold, his eyes lingering on the three other adults in the room. "Ash, come on." Damon couldn't quite conceal his expression of shock when Ash darted forward, grabbing the man's arm and half buried his face into it, trying to hide from Juanita, Mannes and the doctor. Juanita looked over and smiled gently, though quickly looked away to make sure Ash didn't feel any more uncomfortable than he already did. After a few seconds, Damon managed to pull out of his stupor and glanced over at the bed and felt his heart twist again before looking down at Ash. The boy glanced up at Damon before nodding. Understanding what he had meant, Damon approached the bed, Ash still clinging to his arm.

Julia lay under the sheets, bandaged up and her hair sprawled out behind her, damp from when it had been washed clean of blood and dirt. A drip had been set up to account for her body's low fluid level. If it hadn't been for all of it, she'd look so serene; she may have only been sleeping after a long day. Of course that wasn't the case. Damon sat on the edge of the bed, a hand coming to rest on Julia's. It filled him with such anger, seeing her battered and bruise like this. He wanted to go out there and find whoever had done this and make them pay. He would go right now, but he knew Juanita would end up using Golurk to restrain him. And there was the fact that whoever had done the damage was most likely long gone. But given half the chance, he would hunt them down and make sure they got what they deserved.

Ash simply stood there, staring at his sister. He had no idea how to react as she lay there, completely oblivious to everyone's presence. Damon barely noticed that the boy still had a tight grip on his sleeve.

"It's clear that this damage was done by a human," the doctor commented. "The wounds were clean; not like the ragged bites or scratches you'd expect from wild pokémon."

"What I want to know is why," Damon growled through gritted teeth, his grip on Julia's hand tightening a little.

"And that we may never know," Juanita said forcefully, recognising Damon's tone. "We have no idea whether the attack was random or not. If it wasn't then who's to say they'll be caught." Despite knowing what Juanita was trying to say, it didn't reduce Damon's desire to go looking for the culprit. Right now, the only thing that kept him from barging out of the house this very minute was the two siblings. He wanted Julia to wake up and assure her that she was safe. And he wanted to make sure Ash was okay, because so far it seemed everyone in the house made him nervous. Though he didn't say any of this; he didn't reply at all. He just sat there, eye focused on Julia. Juanita frowned and then shook her head.

"Why don't you two boys go and get some sleep?" Both heads whipped around, mouths open and ready to protest only to be harshly cut off by Juanita's firm glare. "You are both exhausted. Running yourselves ragged won't help Julia and you're just winding yourselves up. Go on and get some rest, we'll take care of things here." Damon's thoughts flashed through his head, trying to present some kind of counter argument with no success. Finally, he surrendered, standing up and lead Ash from the room once more.

* * *

Damon tucked Ash back into the bed, Pikachu curling up at the foot of the bed. No one made a sound, trying to process the events of the night, before Damon made to stand. He wasn't surprised when Ash grabbed his hand; Damon just shook his head and laid down next to Ash instead, wrapping a protective arm around the boy who he had started to regard as a younger brother and gripping him tightly as the child began to cry again, his gasps somewhat choked as his buried his face into Damon's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Damon just rubbed soothing circles into Ash's back, humming an old lullaby his father used to sing when he was a small boy. When Juanita peered around the door an hour later, she smiled softly at the sight of both Ash and Damon, fast asleep and looking far more peaceful than they had all night. Damon still had his arms wrapped around Ash, shielding him from harm. Juanita gently tucked the covers securely around them, petting her own son's hair in the process and exiting the room quietly.

"Good night you two," she whispered to the air. It seemed that Julia would have to wait for Damon and Ash to come and visit her now.

**The End...**

**A rewrite of an old fic, a bit longer and revised largely in many areas. Normally I write Damon having his own place, but for the sake of it, he lives with his mother and sister here. This won't be canon to Truth and Lies (probably) so don't expect it as a tie in. I just like Ash and Damon brotherly-fluff stuff which I came up with after creating Julia XD**


End file.
